Vietnam to speed up Covid-19 vaccine research

VIETNAM will mobilise resources to accelerate the progress of creating a Covid-19 vaccine, the Health Ministry has said.

The Covid-19 vaccine developed by Vietnam has shown positive test results on animals, serving as an important foundation to progress and complete the vaccine, according to the ministry.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam held a meeting with the health ministry and scientists on coronavirus testing kits and the vaccine in Hanoi on Tuesday.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said a number of countries had tested Covid-19 vaccines on mice and chickens before moving on to apes and eventually human trials.

Vietnamese scientists were working on developing a Covid-19 vaccine and plan to manufacture a large quantity of vaccines.

The health ministry would continue to promote vaccine research and production. Besides vaccine research following normal standards, the ministry would prepare plans in response to the widespread pandemic, he said.

The ministry would re-organise research teams and work with businesses on vaccine research, he said.

“Vietnam will stay updated on vaccine production technology by learning from the world’s Covid-19 response experience. Vietnam’s vaccine development projects not only aim to manufacture a vaccine that the world is expecting but also make Vietnam more flexible in vaccine stocks,” he added.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said “vaccines are an important factor in disease prevention and control”.

Vietnam should take advantage of all opportunities to research and manufacture a Covid-19 vaccine, he said, emphasising linking vaccine research with production.

At the meeting, the health ministry said Vietnam had manufactured SARS-CoV-2 test kits with high accuracy.